Manchester United are real Premier League contenders against Arsenal
Manchester United overcome injuries and seek spectacular comeback against Manchester City to dream of a Premier League trophy
In the most anticipated clash of the 20th matchday of the Premier League 2022/23, Manchester United and Manchester City produced a great spectacle at Old Trafford.
Looking to maintain their unbeaten run of six consecutive wins, Manchester United made almost all the changes to their line-up from their EFL Cup triumph against Charlton.
Only Brazilian Fred and Tyrell Malacia remained in the starting line-up. Luke Shaw returned to centre-back, but the big news was the presence of Anthony Martial, recovered from injury.
At the other end, Manchester City needed to look for a reaction after the defeat to Southampton in the EFL Cup quarterfinals. Of that starting line-up, only Cancelo, Walker and Foden were retained. Top scorer Erling Haaland returned to the starting line-up.
Manchester United performed better in the first half
Throughout the first half, Manchester United were able to neutralise the Citzens’ attacking momentum and racked up the most shots. Pep Guardiola’s side left the field without a shot on target.
Much of the action took place in midfield, but the Red Devils had the main chances with two escapes from Marcus Rashford, the Premier League’s most prominent player in recent rounds.
United’s only two attacking actions during the first half came from Rashford, who accumulated 0.38 xG with three touches on the ball inside the penalty area. However, the young centre forward felt muscle problems before the break but was eventually kept on for the second half.
Manchester City returned with a new attitude after the break
Since their victory over Liverpool on 22 August, Manchester United have been the highest-scoring side in the Premier League, with 11 wins from their last 15 games. However, that statistic was not enough to stave off a Manchester City comeback.
The Citzens returned from the break with quicker touches, better set-pieces and greater dominance of possession. With 85% possession accumulated in 15 minutes, City opened the scoring at Old Trafford.
Mahrez cut inside and left his marker behind, hitting an excellent deep cross to find De Bruyne. The Belgian lifted into the box and Grealish headed home, just minutes after leaving the bench.
Marcus Rashford’s spectacular turnaround set up Manchester United’s comeback
The Red Devils’ situation in the second half was delicate with a lack of space in the final third against Manchester City’s defensive system, which had been performing well after successive failures in recent games.
However, manager Erik ten Hag once again demonstrated his quality by bringing on Garnacho in place of Eriksen.
In the 78th minute, Bruno Fernandes completed the move initiated by Casemiro, in a move that Rashford was also approaching the ball in an offside position. After a moment of vagueness amid controversy, the referee confirmed the goal.
Just four minutes later, Manchester United turned the scoreboard around in spectacular fashion. In a fast counter-attack, young Garnacho spun past Ake and slipped the ball into the middle of the penalty area where Rashford finished first past goalkeeper Ederson in less than ideal physical condition.
With his seventh goal in seven games, Marcus Rashford has definitely taken Manchester United to a new level this season. Right now, the Red Devils are more capable of threatening Arsenal’s title than Manchester City, who are more reliant on Erling Haaland’s goals and fails with shots on target.